Philips produces super-thin, bendable display

By
01.27.2004 :: 12:23PM EST

There is a scene in the movie Red Planet in which astronaut Val Kilmer surveys the topogrophy of Mars using a flexible display. There are now numerous firms that are researching flexible, roll-up display technology, and Philips is now producing small, rollable displays. These displays are thin enough to be rolled-up like a magazine, and have four gray levels. Philips has a production line capable of producing 5,000 of the 5-inch displays per year, so the technology is not yet ready for volume production. Moreover, the monochrome display is only capable of 320×240 resolution, so these displays would probably only be used for reading textual information. Although the longevity of these displays has improved dramatically, current roll-up displays only have a lifetime of a few months. Nevertheless, Philips is confident that it can mass-produce these displays by 2005, and it and other companies are rapidly improving this technology. Large, high-resolution, full color, lightweight, roll-up displays may eventually become as common as cellphones are today.

USER COMMENTS 20 comment(s)

Philips(12:26pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)You have to wonder why any researchers still work at Philips. They spend their time and effort to come up with the coolest stuff just to have companies like Sony one-up them every time. Once again, good work Philips. However, I don't think we will see their name on too many of them. – by M@

Nice reporting(12:37pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)Much better than Thomas.

This is what geek.com is all about. – by Thanks Thanks Thanks

Philips produces super-thin, bendable display(12:37pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)I think that the display will be great for students to continue their learning and perform well in an academic society. – by KADO

Philips Display(2:24pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)Anybody know where I can see a picture of one of those? – by pkman

Cheap enough to be disposable?(2:33pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)Will it be a disposable display like we saw on the movie Minority Report”?They had those newspapers that changed on the fly… – by TheMasses

Actually(2:39pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)What mostly happens is companies like Sony licenses technology from companies like Phillips, Samsung, etc. Isn't Samsung the one that came up with the Trinitron technology? You would be surprized at how many things in a Sony product are not made by Sony. – by Topher

This is not the first exploration path(2:41pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)Manufacturers and researchers in OLED have long claimed flexible, translucent displays are possible with their new (emerging?) technology. – by Sean Langley

Picture of flexible display(3:15pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)– by abarter

Hmmmm(4:22pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)I have been holding off on buying an LCD monitor for one of these, albeit a colour one… But since the first ones will be out next year, it's LCD for me, but i will be one fo the first people to line up for a new full colour roll up monitor :)– by Headley

2005?(4:48pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)Won't be until 2007 that this will take off…

Don't know why they think within 1 year if they don't even have them in stores at this point. – by X-plattform

…(4:54pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)What? A company actually has a new product? This isn't a paper release or vapor-ware? I'm…I'm…Flabergasted.Next thing they will tell me is that 3d solid state memory, cold fusion, and my rocket pack are ready.– by MasterBlaster

Better Picture(9:11pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)– by sd

I like my paper topos, thank you(10:53pm EST Tue Jan 27 2004)I like the idea of a less fragile LCD for laptops. Even if it doesn't roll up, just to have your 17″ laptop screen take a little abuse and keep working would be good.

I know a couple folks that freak out when you just touch the LCD screen, afraid you will kill pixels.

Gotta wonder about the tradeoffs – contrast, refresh, early death … oh well nothing comes for free.

I'm still waiting for an LED/DMD digital projector the size of a pack of cigarettes for sub 20″ screen projection. Maybe this year? – by Zeke

Polymervision (powered by PHILIPS)(2:09am EST Wed Jan 28 2004)Here is a link to the PHILIPS bendable display (from PHILIPS incubator Polymervision).There you can see some versions of this display.

– by icarus

LED/DMD(10:10am EST Wed Jan 28 2004)Zeke wrote:“I'm still waiting for an LED/DMD digital projector the size of a pack of cigarettes for sub 20″ screen projection. Maybe this year?”

I have a similar vision, althouth using the Texas Instruments Digital Light technology () which has been in production for years and as I understand it has the capability of being significantly miniaturised – by X.xE

Sony Sucks(2:37pm EST Mon Feb 02 2004)I think Sony products are so over priced and yet, they have that edge to continue their globalization. Marketing at its best – by Pimpjuice

Bluetooth Capability(7:33am EST Fri Feb 20 2004)I think what is really cool is the BT capability the display is supposed to have. Think of all the cool applications one can come up with, especially given the fact that most of the phones sold over here in Europe now what bluetooth capability. Cant wait. – by ilyanov